We haunt every medium we make.

January 03, 2014

A computer game sent from the uncanny valley

"To the Sect" is an odd computer game apparently generated by a computer program. Said program, ANGELINA, has been written and developed by Michael Cook, a British researcher.

What's odd about this posthuman game? The expression and tone, as Kotaku observes. For example, the game's descriptive text:

This is a game about a disgruntled child. A Founder. The game only has one level, and the objective is to reach the exit. Along the way, you must avoid the Tomb as they kill you, and collect the Ship.

Clear so far? Watch this Tomb chase a Ship:

I use some sound effects from FreeSound, like the sound of Ship. Using Google and a tool called Metaphor Magnet, I discovered that people feel charmed by Founder sometimes. So I chose a unnerving piece of music from Kevin Macleod's Incompetech website to complement the game's mood.